Crock Pot Beef Stew

Beef stew was a dish I always made while living at home with my mom. For some odd reason after I left and met my husband, I never made it again. That is until October 19 when I decided to make it again but in the crock pot. I remembered I had pinned a recipe on Pinterest, looked it up and made the ingredients list. I took note of what I needed to change and what could be left the same.

The original recipe can be found at Slow Cooker Beef Stew.  I am sure the original is delicious, but I made it better; I can actually eat it without getting sick afterward.

The following is my version of Campbell's Slow Cooker Beef Stew.

Ingredients:

3 cups (750 mL)  potato cubes or mini potatoes, halved
2 cups (750 mL) each, sliced carrots and celery
2 small onion, cut into wedges
2 bay leaves or 1 tbsp dried leaves
1 1/2 lb (750 g) stewing beef cut into cubes
1/4 cup (60 mL) potato flour + 1/2 tbsp for drippings
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground black pepper
1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
1 tetra pack of gluten free low sodium beef broth or homemade broth
1/2 tbsp (7 mL) gluten free Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh thyme leaves or dried leaves
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Combine vegetables in 4 1/2 qt (4.3 L) slow cooker. Add bay leaves
2. Place stewing beef, flour and pepper into a sealable plastic bag and toss to coat beef.
3. Brown beef well on all sides in heated oil over medium-high heat in large non-stick skillet. Place beef on top of vegetables in slow cooker.
4. Add broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and garlic to skillet and combine well with pan drippings, add in 1/2 tbsp of potato flour. Pour mixture over beef and vegetables.
5. Cook, covered, on High setting for 4 hours (or low for 7-8 hours) or until beef reaches internal temperature of 165 F (74 C) and is fork-tender. Discard bay leaves before serving.

Suggested Tip:

Resist the temptation to take the slow cooker lid off to check the stew. Heat and steam will escape, interrupting the way that the meat and vegetables cook and lengthening the time until the stew is ready. (I did not follow this tip, rather I checked the tenderness of the potatoes, carrots and meat at the mid point of cooking).

It was a hit with my family. It was so good they ate it the next day (actually my oldest begged to have it for dinner). I found it tasted better the next day reheated.

Will I make it again? For sure! I will even prep all the vegetables prior and create freezer meals with it; it was that good.